Thank you for writing this. It is interesting for sure. However, I must respectfully disagree with some of it. Here's why: we have one life here - at least that what we can mostly prove at the current time. : ) And while it's true that sometimes our work gets rejected it is also true that sometimes it does not. However, if I don't keep keeping on... keep trying, keep writing, keep challenging myself - I will not know what will become 'rejected ' and what will not. Last year, after submitting an article I wrote to many publications it was accepted by a big place. And you know what, that was fun. I worked on it for a long time. And I was paid a nice amount of money for writing it. And the money I earned had nothing to with the reason I wrote it. I wrote it to be of service to myself, to speak words and communicate ideas that helped me grow. It turned out that my words and ideas spoke to other people.

The article was about a subject matter that I am very passionate about. And so--- I kept keeping on. I was reading Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic' at the time. She has many powerful things to say. One of those things is to tell the story I want to tell; to speak the words that I/we are passionate about. The goal is not to get published in big places. Of course not. But I can keep trying. Really, if I believe in what I am doing... it cannot hurt AND sometimes amazing things happen - when they are supposed to. Those things are rarely in my timetable but they do occur.

Also - there is no such thing as perfection - just hard work, and passion. Sometimes editors from big places do respond and give meaningful feedback. Also some editors from other publications respond and give meaningful feedback as did an editor from a recent publication I was published in - 'Modern Parent.’ And truthfully - I was grateful for both.

I suppose I don't believe in one perfect formula. The article that was recently published -- I wrote the majority of that, sitting on the floor, pouring my heart out. I edited it - for sure - greatly. Also, I did not write the piece to become published.

I wrote it because it helped me. I think that's what writers do - they write, as Glennon Doyle said. Sometimes our sentences and thoughts impact other human beings. Sometimes our souls connect to other peoples hearts and minds and that is a truly beautiful thing.

The greatest, most powerful thing is when we can be of service to ourselves - and to others; to bring people together and help people feel less alone.